PERCUTANEOUS ULTRASOUND-GUIDED RADIOFREQUENCY ELECTROCAUTERY ABLATION OF PROSTATE TISSUE IN DOGS

Rationale and Objectives. We investigated the feasibility of percutaneous radiofrequency (RF) electrocautery in ablation of prostate tissue in dogs. Methods. We used six dogs in whom a specially designed needle was placed percutaneously into the prostate. RF electrocautery was applied to the needle and treatment was monitored with ultrasound. Animals were sacrificed and gross examination of the prostate and surrounding tissues was performed. Histopathologic examinations of the prostate were also performed. Results. The treatment zone appeared as an elliptical echogenic focus on ultrasound that increased in size with the application of current. Gross and histopathologic correlation demonstrated that the treatment area included a central area of char with a surrounding area of coagulation. There were no deleterious effects to surrounding tissues. Conclusion. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of percutaneous ultrasound-guided RF electrocautery ablation of canine prostate tissue.